The present invention relates to a retractable surface system installed within an opening in a surface and a method of installing the retractable surface system into the opening within the surface, particularly a retractable athletic surface system and a method of installing the retractable athletic system into an opening of an athletic field.
The investment of public/private funds in facilities, particularly athletic facilities, requires significant funds. Unfortunately, because such facilities are often designed as single-use facilities, there is a lack of flexibility in use of many of these facilities for different activities. An example of such lack of flexibility are athletic facilities containing elevated surfaces used for pitching mounds, bull pen mounds, track and field fixtures or areas, such as pits/water obstacles, etc. Because of the structure of these features of athletic facilities, the flexibility to use these venues for other purposes is limited. Further, the expense of manual conversion of these facilities for multiple uses is substantial. In addition, the potential for injury of athletes using converted sports facilities is significant, without a better control of the surface of the playing fields of these facilities.
The seasons of athletic teams often overlap, placing a premium on making a field playable in a short period of time for multiple uses. Accordingly, it is critical for a field to be convertible and playable within 24 hours from use for one sport to use for a different sport. Further, game scheduling is often conducted by league administration and is not under the control of the respective athletic teams, making quick modification of the surface of the athletic field often necessary. Further, efficient transformation of a stadium from one event to another is critical with regard to materials and employees needed for a successful and quick transformation.
The ability to raise and lower various ground level features of athletic field surfaces or surfaces in general with minimal manpower and materials allows the surfaces to be converted from one use to another use efficiently and economically. This conversion ability also allows these venues to be more utilized and productive for multiple sports and the communities they serve. For example, such a conversion would allow a baseball playing field to be easily converted to use for football, soccer, band competitions, non-athletic events and music concerts.
For such conversions to be practical, there is a need for a system which will allow venues to use their primary playing surface without a tripping hazard that often occurs with raised or depressed athletic field features, such as pitching mounds. Further, when athletic surfaces, such as pitching mounds, cannot be removed, the presence of the pitching mound in the middle of the athletic field seriously limits the amount of seating for events such as concerts. Efficient conversions of athletic surfaces also contribute to safety of use of such surfaces for participants. Further, because the seasons for athletic teams overlap, a field is only available for a very short window of time to allow for initial installation of a retractable athletic surface.
Currently, a retractable athletic surface exists as discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,278,276. Unfortunately, because of its design and difficulty in installation, it is impractical to use and expensive to install. Further, the '276 patent requires the use of extensive excavation as installation and maintenance require use of a concrete foundation, which has to be precisely measured, poured and set within the opening in the athletic field. This concrete foundation has been impractical as it takes numerous skilled artisans to install, which takes significant time. Moreover, the skilled artisans must be trained in how to install and maintain the surface, which also takes time and results in excess costs and significantly limits the number of workers available. What is needed is an improved retractable surface system, which can be, for the most part, prefabricated and delivered to the surface, such as an athletic field, for quicker, more efficient installation and maintenance.
In addition, a quick and efficient method of constructing and installing a retractable surface system within an surface, such as an athletic field, in a short period of time is important to allow for optimal usage of the surface or athletic field. Further, this method of installing the retractable surface system should account for an on-site assessment of pre-existing conditions prior to construction of the retractable surface system. Further, a method of installing and constructing the retractable surface system is needed which allows for less excavation of the surface or athletic field and less on-site construction time to optimize surface and athletic field usage. This method of constructing a retractable surface system should also allow for precise quality control of the retractable surface.
The retractable surface system and method of installation disclosed herein eliminates the need for the complicated, multicomponent concrete foundation previously used, allows for precise quality control of the retractable surface via prefabrication of a majority of the components of the system, and significantly decreases the amount of time necessary for installation of the retractable surface system.